Excellent posts from Toby and Andy especially but others add good stuff too.
The one thing that hits me about the prospect of yet more hoops to jump
through in order to practice---and make no mistake, that is what they are, a
collection of bloody circus props---is that the effort required to work as a
GP in the UK has now increased enough to make me wonder how long it will be
worth it.
Consider.
Last year I did the paperwork for the Scottish supplementary lists. Several
hours in total, putting two colleagues to some trouble to fill up
references, waited some time to hear that all was eventually accepted.
This year I did the paperwork for N Ireland performers lists. Yes, where I
have been working for years and been active enough outside the surgery that
I knew the senior performers person well enough to communicate on first name
terms. The paperwork was a bit more extensive than the Scottish version, as
befits a burgeoning bureacracy. I think the police or whatever check is
still going on but they assumed that will be OK. As it should be, since I
got a security clearance from the N Ireland Office in 1999 to do Incapacity
Benefit medicals.
Recently I did the paperwork for one English PCT list where I hope to do
locums.
Now I am a big fan of devolved government for Wales, Scotland and N Ireland
(especially N Ireland) but I cannot for the life of see why I have to go
through the same procedure three times to practice in three different parts
of the UK. I would hope that in due course some smart lawyer will see a
killing to be made out of cases like mine in that this carry on is
restricting my ability to trade.
The performers lists carry on is now much more tedious and time-consuming
that getting a temporary licence ( to do locums) in Prince Edward Island,
Canada and I think that says it all.
How much worse is it likely to get? And how many will put up with it?
Declan
|